1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which uses collected information for data mining or the like while maintaining privacy of personal information included in the collected information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, computers are existing everywhere without being noticed. Ubiquitous computing which assists daily life and ubiquitous networks that connect ubiquitous computers are extensively being studied (“Toward Realization of a Ubiquitous Network”, Study Group on Future Prospects of Ubiquitous Network Technology in Ministry of General Affairs, <URL: http://www.soumu.go.jp/s-news/2002/pdf/020611—4—1.pdf>).
A scale having an IrDA is commercially available. When the user weighs himself/herself, the scale automatically transmits the measured weight and body fat percentage to a personal computer through a network. A home healthcare system is also under development, in which when the user uses the toilet, the weight, blood pressure, pulse, and blood glucose level are measured and transmitted to a health control center or the like through a network.
As size reduction of acceleration sensors progresses, high-performance pedmeters are becoming commercially available. There are some commercially available pedmeters which can cause a personal computer to manage measured data through a USB (Universal Serial Bus).
A railway company introduced 2002 a service that uses a combination of a pass and a prepaid card using a noncontact IC card with extensive advertisements. In the service that combines a pass and a noncontact IC card, the holder of each noncontact IC card pass can be specified. The service provider, i.e., the railway company can grasp the movement of the holder of each noncontact IC card pass and the time of his/her action although the follow-up range is limited to the railway network of that company.
To cope with the increase in number of heinous crimes, there are installed many security/monitor cameras in bank ATMs, convenience stores, amusement centers, and elevator halls or cages of multistoried apartments. The monitor cameras continuously sense images at an interval of 1 to 10 sec on a 24-hour basis. In case of an actual offense, recorded images are offered to the police and the like.
Images sensed by monitor cameras which are installed to observe the water levels of rivers or rainfalls are open to the public through cable TVs or Web. Cable TVs are exclusive services for only subscribers and are therefore charged for. However, there are some images that can be seen at an interval of 10 min in real time without charge (top page of Keihin Office of River, <URL: http://www.keihin.ktr.mlit.go.jp/index_top.html>).
That is, for various purposes such as crime prevention and health control, various kinds of sensing devices such as cameras and vital or living-body sensors are installed at public sites including banks, stations, convenience stores, and amusement centers, or private locations including homes, or worn by individuals.
On the other hand, medical facilities want to not only manage the blood glucose levels of diabetics but also collect and mine enormous quantity of data about even reserves of “lifestyle” diseases and make use of the data for medical treatments and health instructions. All patients want only themselves and their doctors to browse their data. Even when the patients know that the data is useful for preventive medicine, they do not want their names revealed. If the data is to be used for study of preventive medicine, the patients wish that information related to the patient's privacy should be completely deleted, and only abstract information necessary for studies should be made open, like “female, age: 35, height: 163 cm, weight: 48 kg, blood pressure: 116-72, . . . ”
Currently, however, such work for keeping personal information secret is mainly done by doctors who use the data for studies. Only few doctors have knowledge about information protection such as firewall or can do programming to keep information secret. Even when doctors have such knowledge or ability, most of them have no sufficient time to handle and manage information.
In the distribution industry including convenience stores and supermarkets, it is required to know the merchandise buying tendency of each age group and gender and make use of the information for the next purchase of merchandise. In convenience stores, presently, a clerk looks at a customer and estimates and inputs, e.g., “middle-aged, man”. If settlement using a point card or a portable cellular phone is introduced, the data can automatically be acquired.
On the other hand, the railway company can grasp the flow of passengers who use the noncontact IC card passes. On the basis of the data, the company can make a train service schedule or improve the station facilities. However, every noncontact IC card pass user expects that the personal information is protected even if his/her data is used.
An enormous quantity of information including personal information or private information such as images of street cameras, available railway information, personal vital data, and personal purchase information, which have not been handled as contents with clear awareness, can be processed as electronic data and distributed through networks. Every person wants to protect the information including personal information. On the other hand, companies, railway companies, medical facilities, and distribution industry want to mine data and use them as fundamental data for marketing or investment on plants and equipment. There is a bottleneck of interests between the two parties.
As described above, conventionally, there is no environment for effectively using information including personal information or information such as vital data or purchase information corresponding to personal information for different purposes while protecting the personal information.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information sharing method and information sharing system, which allow a third party to effectively use information including personal information while protecting the personal information.